by Rosli Mansor Ahmad Razali
A total of 909 summons were issued to road users in the state, during the two days of the 19th Op Selamat conducted in conjunction with the Chinese New Year.
According to the Head of the Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department (JSPT) of Perak, Supt. Azizan Hassan, the number shows a decrease of 63 percent compared to 2,458 in the same period the previous year.
He said most of the summons involved speeding and breaking red lights.
“As for accidents, there were 252 cases that involved two deaths, namely a motorcyclist and another car passenger.
“So far we can see that the death rate has decreased by 50 percent compared to the previous 17th Op Selamat,” he said.
He said this to reporters at a press conference, after attending the Community Returning to the Hometown Awareness and Road Safety Operation in conjunction with Chinese New Year at the Ipoh Selatan (north) Toll Plaza on Friday.
In the meantime, he said the flow of traffic entering the state showed on a scale of 3.
“There are a lot of vehicles entering Perak but they can still move and be controlled, it’s just that the traffic movement may be a little slower than usual,” he said.
He added that among the areas identified as congested are the north-south route of Mount Semanggol (Kerian), Bukit Berapit (Taiping), Sungai Perak (Kuala Kangsar), Menora Tunnel, Ipoh, Simpang Pulai, Gopeng, and Tapah.
“Among the other factors that cause road congestion is because of the free toll that starts at 12 midnight, 20 January (Friday) and will end at 11.59 pm, 21 January to all classes of vehicles.
“JSPT Perak in collaboration with the Perak Road Transport Department is always monitoring the highway to ensure the smooth running of all road users,” he said.
He also said that his party also stationed traffic officers at hotspot locations in the state.
In addition, PLUS also places a tow truck in the nearby rest and recuperation (R&R) area if necessary.
Op Selamat, which is conducted for 10 days from January 18 to 27, focused on hot spot areas where congestion is expected due to the movement of people going back to their hometowns and back again after the end of the festive season.
